Mohammad Rizwan named Pakistan T20I vice-captain

The Pakistan Cricket Board [PCB] has appointed Mohammad Rizwan as the vice-captain of the T20I side ahead of the team's five-match series against New Zealand. The wicket-keeper batter replaces Shadab Khan in the role, who is on the road to recovery following an ankle injury, which ruled him out of the New Zealand tour.

Rizwan's appointment is the latest in a slew of changes that have happened in the Pakistan leadership group and board structure after Babar Azam stepped down as captain from all formats of the game following the 2023 ODI World Cup. Pakistan finished fifth on the table with just four wins in nine matches and failed to qualify for the knockouts. The 31-year-old Rizwan will be working as a deputy to Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was named captain of the T20I side.

Rizwan has prior leadership experience, both on the international and domestic fronts. He led Pakistan in two Tests against New Zealand in late 2020 and early 2021 after a fractured right thumb ruled Babar out. In the PSL, Rizwan has been captain of Multan Sultans since 2021. Under his leadership, Sultans won the title in 2021, and have qualified for the final in 2022 and 2023. In all, he has led in 64 of the 238 T20s that he has been part of.

"It is an honour to be named as the vice-captain of Pakistan Men's T20I side. I am thankful to the PCB for entrusting me with this responsibility. I am looking forward to working closely with the captain, coaching staff, and my team-mates to contribute to the team's success," Rizwan said.

Rizwan has a stellar T20I record in which he has scored 2797 runs in 73 innings at an average of 49.07 with 25 half-centuries and one century. His strike rate of 127.30, however, has come under criticism in the last few years. He has also taken 41 catches and effected 11 stumpings.

Pakistan are coming off a deflating 3-0 Test Aseries loss against Australia and will hope a change of format brings about a change in fortunes. They are scheduled to play five T20Is in New Zealand, the first of which will start on January 12 in Auckland. They will then travel to Hamilton for the second T20I followed by Dunedin before going to Christchurch for the last two games.